CHARLOTTE, N.C. – No. 3 seed [No. 10/10] Clemson Lacrosse (14-5, 7-3) fell to No. 2 seed [No. 11/9] Stanford (15-3, 8-2) in a thrilling, 13-12, ACC Championship Semifinal game at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Friday evening.
Freshman midfielder Aubrie Eisfeld led the Tigers with four goals on the night. Sophomore defender Kira Balis recorded eight of Clemson’s 12 draw controls.
FIRST QUARTER | 3-2, Clemson
Clemson outscored Stanford by a slim margin of 3-2 in the opening frame. Freshman attack Alexa Spallina, junior midfielder Natalie Shurtleff and Eisfeld each found the net for the Tigers.
SECOND QUARTER | 6-4, Stanford
The Cardinal managed to tie the game and then take a two goal lead going into halftime by outscoring the Tigers 4-1 in the second stanza. Sophomore attack Brook Goldstein scored Clemson’s lone goal of the quarter.
THIRD QUARTER | 10-9, Stanford
In a tense third frame, a combined nine goals were scored. With Clemson outscoring Stanford, 5-4. Freshman midfeilder Emma Penczek scored the first pair of goals, Eisfeld with the second set, and Goldstein rounded out the scorers.
FOURTH QUARTER | 13-12, Stanford
Clemson extended a four-goal scoring run from the third quarter into the final frame of action. The Cardinal then rattled off three goals across the final the minutes of action to take a one goal lead to secure the Clemson loss. The second goal by Stanford tied the game at 12-12, before the dagger behind the back goal from the Cardinal secured the Tigers loss.
STATS RECAP
- Clemson now holds a record of 3-4 in the ACC Tournament.
- Penczek (three goals, 52 season points) has surpassed the 50 season points milestone.
- Penczek | Three goals, four shots, three ground balls, two caused turnovers
- Goldstein | Two goals, one assist, four shots
- Shurtleff | Two goals, three assists, two shots, three draw controls
- Spallina | One goal, two assists, two shots
- Masaracchia | Three ground balls, one caused turnover
- Wrenn | One ground ball, one caused turnover
- Babcock | One assist, one ground ball, one caused turnover
- Balis | Eight draw controls
- Hilsabeck | Two ground balls, one caused turnover
- Scott | One ground ball, one caused turnover, one draw control
- DeLuca | Two ground balls
- Eisfeld | Four goals, five shots
- Mooney | Two assists
- Byrne | Two shots
- O’Day | One assist
- Miller | One ground ball, one caused turnover
UP NEXT
The selection show for the 2026 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship will take place on Sunday, May 3, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. First-round games will begin on Friday, May 8.
The 2026 Women’s Lacrosse Championships will be held at Martin Stadium in Chicago, IL on May 22 & 24 2026. The National Semifinals will be held on May 22, 2026, and broadcast on ESPNU. The National Championship will take place on May 24, 2026, and will be broadcast on ESPN.
TICKETS
Fans can purchase lacrosse tickets at ClemsonTigers.com/Tickets/.
For complete coverage of Clemson’s women’s lacrosse program, follow @ClemsonWlax on X, Instagram and Facebook.